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…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead: April 29, 2011 Bowery Ballroom – FLAC and MP3 Downloads + Streaming Song

Starting with their band name, Austin’s …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead have never been concerned with doing things the way that other bands do them. They are the kind of band that opens a co-headlining (yet nonetheless, technically opening) set at the Bowery Ballroom on a Friday night with a fifteen minute song (“Strange News From Another Planet”) from a new record (2011’s Tao of the Dead) that likely even the fans in attendance knew less well than their classic material. They are also the kind of band who, when they do that, cause the crowd to go apeshit.

Indeed, for the younger generation that was there to see the co-headliner Surfer Blood, this intense hour of no-compromise punk/art-rock may have been a departure from their usual Friday night fare. Surfer Blood is a great band, but Trail of Dead is many things they are not: loud, audacious, and visceral. But whether you came for Trail of Dead or not, they had to have won you over by the time they left the stage; frontman Conrad Keely bounced and pogo’d all over the stage while Jason Reece and Jamie Miller traded turns playing guitar and hammering the skins. With Autry Fulbright, also of Midnight Masses, joining on bass, the band has a killer lineup, even compared to the many variously-sized ones they have had. They were clearly enjoying themselves, as well as the energy from the crowd, which peaked in size during their set. The set covered a wide range of the band’s material, from the new material to classics such as “It Was There That I Saw You”, the leadoff track to their Pitchfork “perfect 10” album, Source Tags & Codes. The soaring song about intoxicating, damaged love is both jubilant and sad, a classic whether you’re hearing it for the first or fiftieth time. It also made for a tight under-four-minute contrast to some of the more epic numbers that bookended the set (including a 7+ minute “Perfect Teenhood” from Madonna to close out the set) …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead don’t just defy expectations – they exceed them.

I recorded this set with the DPA microphones and a handmade analog preamp from my usual spot in the venue. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!

Please note that the Surfer Blood set was recorded, but per our agreement with Kanine Records, will not be posted until the release of Surfer Blood’s forthcoming EP.

Stream “It Was There That I Saw You”:

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This Recording is now available to Download in FLAC and MP3 and to Stream at Archive.org [HERE].

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